LOS ANGELES — Anthony Volpe is just four wins away from getting to his second Yankees parade.
He famously was pictured at the 2009 parade as an 8-year old with his family from New Jersey.
On Thursday, Volpe said his main memory from that day was trying to get toilet paper to throw.
If Volpe and the Yankees can beat the Dodgers, his experience through the Canyon of Heroes will be far different.
It’s a storyline that many around Volpe still can’t believe.
“It seems like a fairy tale,’’ Marcus Stroman said. “It’s crazy to have that photo and hopefully be at his own parade soon. It’s almost like it’s meant to be.”
But it hasn’t come easily, according to Volpe’s high school coach at Delbarton HS in New Jersey, Bruce Shatel.
“He loves baseball more than anybody I’ve ever met,’’ Shatel said by phone Thursday. “There were times when he had tendinitis in his wrist and after practice I’d still see him hitting in the cage. He couldn’t get enough.”
And it paid off in more ways than Shatel could have imagined.
“I can’t believe this is happening,’’ Shatel said. “For him to grow up like he did and actually be in the World Series as the shortstop of the Yankees, it’s almost too much to take in. He’s living his dream. He wanted this to happen and almost willed it to happen. I’m in awe of how it’s played out so far.”
And Volpe is playing some of the best baseball of his career this postseason, drawing walks more than ever and slamming balls to the opposite field.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:
“For me, when I’m in control of myself and my load and swing, it’s easier to get a better read,’’ Volpe said of his recent approach. “I’m able to stay on pitches longer.”
Shatel said he noticed the change in Volpe’s approach during the final weeks of the regular season and thought good things were ahead.
“He was always at his best with us when he went to right-center,’’ said Shatel, who won state titles with Volpe in 2017 and ’19 and lost in the championship game in ’18. “Last year, it seemed like he was trying to hit the ball over the fence, but he needs to live in the gaps.”
That’s what Volpe has done.
After a solid ALDS performance against the Royals, Volpe was better versus Cleveland, going 6-for-17 with a double and four walks.
“This is the most fun I’ve had as a big leaguer,’’ Volpe said. “This is why you play, to me. This is why you work so hard.”
And it doesn’t stop at the ballpark.
Asked if he thought he’d spend Thursday night soaking in the experience of his first World Series, Volpe laughed and said, “I’ll probably think about what [Dodgers Game 1 starter Jack Flaherty] will throw me first pitch.”
— Additional reporting by Zach Braziller
